Treated glass fibers and aqueous dispersion and nonwoven mat of the glass fibers

Abstract

Treated glass fibers having adequate protection for gathering into strands and when chopped being more dispersible in aqueous media. The treated glass fibers have a coating of an aqueous treating composition, wherein the solids have a cationic surfactant having one or more primary, secondary and/or tertiary amine moieties and one or more water dispersible, poly(oxyethylene-oxyalkylene) copolymer having an oxide ratio of about 78 to about 22 to about 99 to about 1 and an average molecular weight of at least 15,000, and one or more polar functional coupling agents. Optionally, the solids may also have one or more starches that are insoluble or only incompletely soluble in cold water. Glass fibers treated with the aqueous treating compositions and produced into wet or dry chopped glass fiber strands having lengths of about 1/16 of an inch (1.58 mm) to about 3 inches (76.2 mm), have good dispersibility in aqueous media with or without addition of dispersing agents. Nonwoven, sheet-like mat is produced from aqueous dispersions having the chopped treated glass fibers, where some of the water is removed and polymeric binders, commonly referred to as wet strength binders, are applied and the mat is cured. The resulting nonwoven, sheet-like mat product has very good strength properties for use as a reinforcing element for roofing products, construction products and flooring products.

I claim: 
     
       1. Aqueous dispersion of chopped glass fiber strands having a length of about 1/16 of an inch to about 3 inches and having an aqueous treating composition comprising: (a) one or more cationic surfactants having one or more primary, secondary, or tertiary amine moieties in an amount of about 0.01 to about 10 weight percent of said aqueous chemical treating composition,   (b) one or more water soluble, poly(oxyalkylene-oxyethylene) copolymers having a ratio of the total amount of ethylene oxide to the total amount of hydrophobic alkylene oxide in the range of around 99/1 to around 78/22 and a molecular weight of around at least 15,000 in an effective amount to provide sufficient protection to the glass fibers,   (c) one or more polar functional coupling agents in an amount of about 0.01 to about 2 weight percent of said aqueous chemical treating composition, and   (d) water in an amount to give a solids content that is effective for applying said composition to glass fibers, where the strands are present in an amount of about 0.001 to about 5 weight percent of the dispersion.   
     
     
       2. Aqueous dispersion of claim 1, which also has dispersing agents present before the addition of the treated glass fibers. 
     
     
       3. Aqueous dispersion of claim 1, wherein the dispersing agent is polyoxyalkylated tallow amine. 
     
     
       4. Aqueous dispersion of claim 3, which also has hydroxy or alkoxy methyl cellulose thickening agents. 
     
     
       5. Aqueous dispersion of claim 3, which also has thickening agents added before or with the addition of the glass fibers. 
     
     
       6. Nonwoven, sheet-like mat made from the dispersion of claim 1, wherein an amount of water has been removed and a polymeric binder has been applied and the mat cured, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of urea formaldehyde, phenol formaldehyde, melamine formaldehyde, epichlorohydrin and amino resins and anionic or cationic modified derivatives thereof.